Daniel Martinez – Chef/Co-owner, Café Francais Boulangerie & Patisserie
Growing up, Tucson native Daniel Martinez wanted to be a professional drummer and writer but he knew both options were a long shot. To earn money to buy a car to transport the drums to practice, at age 15 he got his first kitchen job at Tucson Raceway Park.
Daniel worked his way up and through high- and low-end kitchens throughout Southern Arizona, parts of Texas, and Rochester, NY for 19 years, creating and perfecting his recipes, nurturing his passion and love for the science of food and baking (mostly French, classics are his thing).
When Café Francais was available to purchase, he knew it was destiny! Although he’s set aside the drums for a while now, he never gave up on the dream to be a writer. Under the name de Martinez, his books are: “The Cook’s Book bare bones kitchen basics,” “Laminating Daniel: Misadventures of a jalapeno popper from too-stoned, Arizona” and “Dark Wander (poetry unintended for the faint of heart)”
